Laborde, John Keith

John Keith Laborde was a 53-year-old Command Sergeant Major from Reinbeck, Iowa, serving in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was assigned to the 649th Regional Support Group, a unit that provided logistical and support functions for military operations. According to the Army, his service included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.

Laborde died on April 22, 2010, at Kandahar Air Field, a major NATO base in southern Afghanistan. The Department of Defense stated he was killed by enemy small arms fire while on a dismounted patrol outside the wire of the base. He was one of the highest-ranking enlisted soldiers to die in the conflict that year.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. By 2010, the war was in a particularly intense phase, with a surge of U.S. forces focused on insurgent strongholds in Kandahar and Helmand provinces.

Laborde's death was reported by major news outlets, including The New York Times and the Associated Press, which listed him among the war's casualties. The Army released a statement confirming his death and expressing condolences to his family and fellow soldiers.

Command Sergeant Major Laborde is memorialized on the Iowa Veterans Memorial Wall and is listed on the Afghanistan War casualty rolls maintained by the Defense Department. His unit, the 649th Regional Support Group, was based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Command Sgt. Maj. John Keith Laborde was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

← Return to the full memorial | Add a memorial record